Rotating battery hinge for a notebook computer

ABSTRACT

A very thin portable computer includes a computer housing for holding electronic components and a battery housing movably mounted external to the computer housing, the battery housing adapted for holding batteries for supplying power to the electronic components. The battery housing is rotatably mounted on the computer housing such that the battery housing rotates between a closed position wherein the battery housing covers the rear side of the computer and an open position wherein the battery housing exposes connectors on the computer housing and elevates the rear side of the computer housing to an angle convenient for typing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to electronic device enclosures and particularlyto computer systems.

Users of personal computers have been liberated from the restrictions ofdesktop-only use with the introduction of portable "notebook" computers.The convenience and transportability of the notebook computer hasproduced a large and lucrative market for manufacturers of suchmachines. Portability is the key to the successful transport and use ofa notebook computer in many different environments; therefore, notebookcomputer form factors are an exceedingly important consideration for thecomputer manufacturer seeking market share in this arena. The goal is toprovide as thin and light-weight a machine as possible, whilemaintaining ease of usability of the machine.

In the past, notebook computer form factors have been limited by thesizes and placement of the necessary components within the computer. Thecomputer designer must judiciously arrange the CPU motherboard, keyboardand keyboard baseplate, hard disk drive, options such as PersonalComputer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slots, and thebattery to provide the most compact form factor possible. To date, atleast some of these components are placed beneath the keyboardbaseplate, thereby sacrificing thinness in order to provide a convenientnotebook computer length and width. To date, the thinnest notebookcomputer available is about one and one-half inches thick. It isdesirable to provide an even thinner notebook computer form factor forthe consumer market.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the principles of the invention, there is provided anassembly for holding and supplying electrical power to electroniccomponents. The assembly includes an enclosure for holding electroniccomponents and a housing for holding batteries. The battery housing ismovably mounted externally on the enclosure for supplying electricalpower to the electronic components. The battery housing can be removablymounted as well as movably mounted on the enclosure.

This principle of the invention is applied to provide a computerincluding a computer housing for holding electronic components within,and a battery housing movably mounted externally to the computerhousing. The battery housing holds batteries for supplying power to theelectronic components. The battery housing can be rotatably mounted onthe computer housing, and can further be removably mounted on thecomputer housing.

According to an aspect of the invention, the battery housing isdimensioned such that the battery housing can move between a closedposition where it covers the rear wall of the computer housing and anopen position in which it elevates the rear wall of the computer housingto provide a convenient typing angle when the computer housing isresting on a support surface. Furthermore, the computer housing can haveelectrical connectors mounted on the rear wall. The battery housing thencovers the connectors when it is rotated into the closed position, andexposes the connectors for use when it is rotated into the openposition.

The battery housing is an elongated housing dimensioned to have a wideportion and a narrow portion. The narrow portion is generallycoextensive with the connectors on the rear wall of the computerhousing, the axis of rotation of the battery housing extending throughthe wide portion and generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of thebattery housing, so that when the battery housing is rotated into theclosed position the narrow portion covers the connectors and when thebattery housing is rotated into the open position the narrow portionprovides a space for exposing the connectors. The connectors arepreferably positioned centrally on the rear wall of the computer housingand the narrow portion of the battery housing is preferably positionedin the center of the battery housing.

According to more specific aspects of the invention, the battery housingis an elongated housing having a narrow portion and wider end portions,the wider end portions forming opposing inwardly facing surfaces and anopening therebetween. An electrical contact is located on the batteryhousing at an inner facing surface and serves to electrically contact amating electrical contact located on the computer housing. Thiselectrical contact is preferably also a rotatable contact, providing forrotational motion of the battery housing as well as the transfer ofelectrical power between the batteries and the electrical componentswithin the computer housing.

By providing an assembly including an enclosure for holding electroniccomponents and a battery housing movably mounted externally on theenclosure for supplying electrical power to the electronic components, away has been found to provide a notebook computer with an externallymounted movable battery housing. The remaining computer components arethen arranged with the computer housing to provide a notebook computerwhich is only one inch thick, and therefore at least 33% thinner thanpresently available portable notebook computers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a notebook computer, with its screentop open, embodying the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view from the rear of the notebook computerof FIG. 1 with its top closed. The exteriorly mounted battery pack isshown in its closed position;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view from the rear of the notebook computerof FIGS. 1-2 with its top closed. the battery pack is illustrated in theopen position;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the computer from below. The under side of thenotebook computer of FIG. 1 showing the rotatable and electric mountingof the battery pack;

FIG. 5 is a elevation view of the battery pack housing, removed from itscomputer mounting, embodying the principles of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the computer of FIG. 1 with its screentop and battery pack removed;

FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c are views of the electrical contact that couples oneside of the battery housing to the computer housing;

FIGS. 8(a) and (b) are views of the joint for rotatably coupling theother side of the battery housing to the computer enclosure;

FIG. 9(a) and (b) are views of the mating socket on the computer housingwhich accepts the joint of FIGS. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of, partly in section, of the keyboardassembly and motherboard within the computer enclosure of FIG. 1arranged according to the principles of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the layout of additional electricalcomponents arranged within the computer enclosure of FIG. 1 inaccordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the region in the computer enclosure ofFIG. 1 illustrating the region occupied by the keyboard assembly andmotherboard when arranged as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 13 is a top view of the forward portion of the computer of FIG. 1with electrical components indicated by dotted lines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1 there is shown a portable notebook computer 10 embodying theprinciples of the invention. The notebook computer 10 includes acomputer enclosure or computer housing 12, inside which the electroniccomponents 14 (not shown) of the computer 10 reside (e.g. a CPUmotherboard on which component chips reside, a hard disk drive, PCMCIAslot, etc). On the top side of the computer housing 12 is a keyboard 16for entering data and a trackball 18 used to move a cursor device abouta display screen 20. The display screen 20 is rotatably mounted via adisplay screen hinge 22 at its rear edge 24 to the top side 26 of thecomputer housing 12 at its rear side 28.

On this rear side 28 is mounted a separate battery housing 30 whichholds batteries 32 (FIG. 4) for supplying electrical power to theelectronic components 14 within the computer housing 12. With thebattery housing 30 mounted external to the computer housing 12, it ispossible to arrange the electronic components 14 within the computerhousing 12 to provide a very thin notebook computer 10.

According to the principles of the invention, the battery housing 30 ismovably mounted on the computer housing 12 and dimensioned such that thebattery housing 30 can move between a closed position 34 wherein thebattery housing 30 covers the rear wall 36 at the rear side 28 of thecomputer housing 12 (FIG. 2) and an open position 38 wherein the batteryhousing 30 serves to elevate the rear wall 36 of the computer housing 12to provide a convenient typing angle when the computer 10 is resting ona support surface 40 (FIG. 3). Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, thebattery housing 30 is shown rotatably mounted on the computer housing 12such that the battery housing 30 rotates between the closed position 34and the open position 38.

In FIG. 3, it can be seen that on the rear wall 36 of the computerhousing 12 are connectors 42 for electrically connecting the computer 10to peripheral devices: serial communications lines, parallel printers,and the like. In FIG. 2, when the battery housing 30 is rotated into theclosed position 34, it covers the connectors 42, and the bottom sides 44and 46 of the computer housing 12 and battery housing 30 respectivelythen provide a continuous flat surface 48. In FIG. 3, when the batteryhousing 30 is shown rotated into the open position 38, the connectors 42are exposed for use. Moreover, when rotated into the open position 38,the battery housing 30 serves to elevate the rear side 28 of thecomputer housing 12 to an angle 50 comfortable for typing on thekeyboard 16. A comfortable typing angle 50 is known to be generallybetween 5 and 10 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 3, the battery housing 30 is an elongated housinghaving a narrow portion 52 and a wide portion 54. The narrow portion 52is placed such that it is generally coextensive with the connectors 42on the rear wall 36 of the computer housing 12 when the battery housing30 is mounted on the computer housing 12. The axis of rotation 56 of thebattery housing (FIG. 2) is shown to extend through the wide portion 54of the battery housing 30 so that when the battery housing 30 is rotatedinto the closed position 34 the narrow portion 52 covers the connectors42, and when the battery housing 30 is rotated into the open position 38there is provided above the narrow portion 52 a space 58 through whichthe connectors 42 are exposed. Preferably, the connectors 42 arepositioned centrally on the rear wall 36 of the computer housing 12, andthe narrow portion 52 of the battery housing 30 is positioned in thecenter 60 of the battery housing 30 so that it is coextensive with theconnectors 42 when the battery housing 30 is mounted on the computerhousing 12.

In addition to being movable when mounted on the computer housing 12, itis convenient, as shown, to have the battery housing 30 removablymounted. Referring specifically to FIG. 5, the battery housing 30 isshown removed from the computer housing 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the battery housing 30 of FIG. 5 has thenarrow portion 52 and two wider end portions 62. In the embodimentshown, a total of six batteries 32 can be held within the batteryhousing 30. Two batteries 32 reside in adjacent relationship within eachwider end portion 62, and two batteries 32 reside in lengthwiserelationship within the narrow portion 52.

The wider end portions 62 of the battery housing 30 form opposinginwardly facing surfaces 64. An opening 66 is formed between theopposing inwardly facing surfaces 64, which forms the space 58 throughwhich the connectors 42 are exposed when the battery housing 30 ismounted on the computer housing 12 and rotated into the open position 38(FIG. 3).

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, the rear wall 36 of the computer housing 12is shaped such that it has a central extended portion 68. The connectors42 are located on this central extended portion 68. The central extendedportion 68 has opposite outwardly facing sides 70 when the batteryhousing 30 is mounted on the computer housing 12, the central extendedportion 68 of the computer housing 12 is located between the wider endportions 62 of the battery housing 30 such that the outwardly facingsides 70 of the central extended portion 68 oppose the respectiveinwardly facing surfaces 64 of the wider end portions 62 of the batteryhousing 30.

The battery housing 30 includes an electrical contact 72 located at oneof the inwardly facing surfaces 64 effective to provide electrical powerto the computer 10 during rotational movement of the battery housing 30.When the battery housing 30 is mounted on the computer housing 12, theelectrical contact 72 mates with a mating electrical contact 76 locatedon the respective outwardly facing side 70 of the central extendedportion 68 of the computer housing 12. Electrical power is transferredbetween the batteries 32 and the components 14 within the computerhousing 12 via the electrical contact 72 and mating electrical contact76. Preferably, the electrical contact 72 is rotatable to providerotatable mounting of the battery housing 30 to the computer housing 12as well as the transfer of electrical power between the batteries 32 andthe mating electrical contact 76.

Referring to FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c the electrical contact 72 and matingelectrical contact 76 are shown in further detail. The electricalcontact 72 is a cylindrically shaped member 80 on which several recessedcopper contact strips 82 are circumferentially located. These contactstrips 82 are electrically connected to the batteries 32 within thebattery housing 30. The mating electrical contact 76 located on thecomputer housing 12 is a U-shaped contact including several coppersliders 84. When the battery housing 30 is mounted on the computerhousing 12, the electrical contact 72 rests in the U-shaped contact suchthat the contact strips 82 electrically contact the sliders 84.Electrical power is then transferred from the batteries 32 through thecontact strips 82 to the sliders 84 and on to power regulation anddistribution circuitry located within the computer housing 12 whichsupplies the required voltages to the various components 14 within thecomputer housing 12. According to the embodiment shown, the batteries 32are arranged two in series, three in parallel to provide 7.2 Volts at upto 4 Amps.

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 6, 8a, 8b, 9a, and 9b, on the oppositeinwardly facing surface 64 of the battery housing 30 is shown a joint 88which mates with a rotatable socket 90 located on the respectiveoutwardly facing side 70 of the central extended portion 68 of thecomputer housing 12. The socket 90 includes a key or tab 92 which fitsinto a slot 94 centrally located through the joint 88. Rotation of thebattery housing 30 is thus provided via the respective interactionsbetween the rotatable electrical contact 72 and mating electricalcontact 76, and between the joint 88 and the rotatable socket 90.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the bottom side 96 of the computer housing 12 twoslidably mounted tab covers 98 slide to cover and uncover the matingelectrical contact and the rotatable socket 90. In order to remove thebattery housing 30 from the computer housing 12, the battery housing 30is rotated into the open position 38 and the slidable tab covers 98 areslid toward each other to expose the rotatable connections. The openside of the U-shaped contact 100 is exposed, as is an open end of theslot 94. The battery housing 30 can then be lifted from the computerhousing 12 so that the cylindrical electrical contact 72 is liftedthrough the open end of the U-shaped mating electrical contact 76, andthe tab 92 of the joint 88 is lifted out of the slot 94. The batteryhousing 30 can be re-installed via the opposite motion wherein thecylindrical electrical contact 72 is dropped into the U-shaped matingelectrical contact 76 and the tab 92 is placed into the slot 94. Slidingthe tab covers 98 away from each other then locks the battery housing 30to the computer housing 12 and allows rotatable motion of the batteryhousing 30 relative to the computer housing 12.

Other rotatable electrical contacts can be employed in place of therotatable electrical contact 72 and mating electrical contact 76 hereinshown while still maintaining rotatable electrical contact according tothe principles of the invention. For example, a standard rotatable jacksuch as a headphone jack could be employed. Or, circular metalliccontacts such as circular strips of copper could be located on the faceof the cylindrical contact shown rather than circumferentially aroundit. The mating electrical contact 76 could then be a channel into whichthe cylindrical electrical contact 72 drops. The circular strips ofcopper would then mate with an opposing electrical contact on an innerface of the channel. Alternatively, the narrow portion 52 of the batteryhousing 30 could include straight metal pins extending lateral to itslengthwise direction which mate with cooperating sockets on the computerhousing. The sockets would be shaped such that electrical contact ismaintained throughout the range of motion of the pins as the batteryhousing 30 is rotated.

Referring back to FIGS. 2 and 3, on the outwardly facing surface 78 ofeach of the wider end portions 62 of the battery housing 30 is formed achannel 102 extending in a direction along the axis of rotation 104 ofthe display screen 20. The shape of the channel 102 complements theshape of the rear edge 24 of the display screen 20 so that the displayscreen 20 can rotate without interference between the rear edge 24 andthe outwardly facing surface 78 of the battery housing 30 when thebattery housing 30 is rotated into the closed position 34. As shown inFIG. 2, the rounded rear edge 24 of the display screen 20 rests in theU-shaped channel 102.

Furthermore, the portion 105 of the outwardly facing surface 78 of eachwider end portion 62 which is located between the channel 102 and thecomputer housing 12 when the battery housing 30 is rotated into theclosed position 34 is radiused so that the battery housing 30 can rotatebetween the closed position 34 and the open position 38 withoutinterference with the rear edge 24 of the display screen 20.

The very thin notebook computer herein described is but one of the manypossible advantageous electronic device arrangements which canconceivably be obtained through application of the broad principle ofthe present invention which provides for the movable attachment of abattery housing to an electronic apparatus.

Furthermore, the very thin notebook computer 10 having a movable batteryhousing 30 mounted external to the computer housing 12 as presentedherein is intended as only one example of this application of thepresent invention. Many arrangements falling within this computerapplication of the broad principle are conceivable. For instance, thoughthe battery housing 30 is shown as rotatably mounted on the computerhousing 12, the battery housing 30 could be movably mounted on thecomputer housing 12 by other means; for instance, by a sliding mechanismwhich would cause the battery housing 30 to slide in a closed positiondownwards relative to the computer housing 12, to an open position whenthe computer 10 is in use.

Moreover, though a computer housing 12 with a single central extendedportion 68 for mating with a battery housing 30 having a central narrowportion 52 and two wider end portions 62 has been described, the narrowportion 52 could be located at an end of the battery housing 30, or acomputer housing 12 with multiple extensions could conceivably mate witha battery housing 30 having multiple wider sections between which themultiple extensions of the computer housing 12 can mate.

Then, too, non-rotatable electrical contacts might be used, the batteryhousing being rendered movable by means other than rotatable electricalcontacts. For example, standard mechanical hinges could be employed forrotation, while electrical contact is maintained via flexible wiring.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the placement of thebattery housing 30 external to the computer housing 12 is combined witha particular layout of the electronic components 14 within the computerhousing 12 to provide the very thin notebook computer 10. Referring nowto the assembly views of FIGS. 10-13, located in the computer housing 12is a generally rectangular keyboard assembly 106, which includes thekeyboard 16 and a keyboard baseplate 108. A generally rectangular CPUmotherboard 110 having component chips 112 mounted thereon is positioneddirectly below the keyboard assembly 106. As shown, the CPU motherboard110 is of generally the same major dimensions as the keyboard assembly106, the keyboard assembly 106 and motherboard 110 thereby defining aregion `A` within the enclosure. The remaining components 14 within thecomputer housing 12 reside in adjacent and generally co-planarrelationship with this region.

In particular, adjacent to and generally coplanar with the region `A`are placed a DC to DC converter 114, a hard disk drive 116, a trackballassembly 118 including the trackball 18, and a PCMCIA option slot 120.According to this arrangement, the DC to DC converter 114, the hard diskdrive 116, the trackball assembly 118, the PCMCIA option slot 120, andthe battery housing 30 all reside adjacent to and generally co-planarwith each other and with the region `A` and in which the keyboardassembly 106 and the motherboard 110 reside, resulting in asubstantially thinner computer 10 than that provided by the prior artarrangement, wherein at least one of the hard disk drive 102, PCMCIA108, or batteries 54 resides below the keyboard.

Referring in addition to FIG. 2, as shown, the height 122 of thecomputer 10 when the display screen 20 is folded down onto the computerhousing 12 is approximately 1.0 inches (FIG. 2). The display screen 20is shown to be approximately 7.5 mm thick. The computer housing 12 isapproximately 18 mm high, with the top wall 128 and bottom wall 130being approximately 1.2 mm thick. The keyboard assembly 106 has a height132 of approximately 8.6 mm, and is placed towards the rear side 28 ofthe computer housing 12, directly above the motherboard 110, which has awidth 134 of approximately 1 mm and is placed approximately 2 mm belowthe keyboard baseplate 108 (136). A 12.5 mm hard disk drive 116, a DualType II/Single Type III PCMCIA option slot 120 of less than 13 mm inheight, and a trackball assembly 118 of less than 13 mm in height resideforward of, adjacent to, and coplanar with the region `A`. A computer 10having a total thickness of one inch results--thereby providing a33%-70% thinness advantage over prior art notebook computers.

Also, though the embodiment shown presents a layout wherein the harddisk drive 116, trackball assembly 118, and PCMCIA option slot 120 arelocated in front of the keyboard assembly 106, the respective positionsof these components can conceivably be reversed to obtain the samethinness advantage.

It is apparent that, within the scope of the invention, modificationsand different arrangements may be made other than as herein disclosed.The present disclosure is merely illustrative, the inventioncomprehending all variations thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer comprising:a computer housing forholding electronic components; a battery housing rotatably mountedexternal to the computer housing, said battery housing adapted forholding batteries for supplying power to said electronic components,said battery housing being an elongated housing having a narrow portionand wider end portions, the wider end portions forming opposing inwardlyfacing surfaces and an opening therebetween, the battery housing beingrotatable between a closed position wherein the battery housing covers arear wall of the computer housing and an open position wherein thebattery is effective to elevate the rear wall to provide a convenienttyping angle when the computer housing is resting on a support surface.2. The computer of claim 1 wherein the battery housing furthercomprises:an electrical contact located on the battery housing at aninner facing surface and serving to electrically contact a matingelectrical contact located on said computer housing.
 3. The computer ofclaim 2 wherein said electrical contact is a rotatable contact forrotationally mounting said battery housing to said computer housing. 4.The computer of claim 2 wherein said computer housing comprises acentral extended portion located between said wider end portions of saidbattery housing.
 5. The computer of claim 4 wherein said centralextended portion has opposite outward facing sides, an outward facingside having an electrical contact mounted thereon for electricallycontacting said electrical contact located on said inner facing surface.6. The computer of claim 5 wherein said electrical contact on saidcentral extended portion of said computer housing and said electricalcontact on said battery housing are rotatable contacts for rotationallymounting said battery housing to said computer housing.
 7. The computerof claim 4, further comprising:a display screen having a rear edge beingrotatably mounted at the rear edge on the central extended portion ofthe computer housing, and wherein the battery housing further comprisesan outwardly facing side, each wider end portion of the battery housinghaving a channel on the outwardly facing side, each channel extending ina direction along an axis of rotation of the display screen, the shapeof each channel being complementary to the shape of the rear edge of thedisplay screen so that the display screen can rotate withoutinterference in the channels when the battery housing is in the closedposition.
 8. The computer of claim 7 wherein the outwardly facingsurface of the wider end portions located between the channel and thecomputer housing when the battery housing is rotated into the closedposition is radiused so the battery housing can rotate into the openposition without interference with the rear edge of the display screen.9. The computer of claim 1 wherein said battery housing furthercomprises:a rotational mounting located on the battery housing at aninner facing surface for rotationally mounting said battery housing tosaid computer housing.
 10. The computer of claim 1 wherein the computerhousing further comprises an electrical connector mounted on the rearwall, and wherein the narrow portion of the battery housing covers theelectrical connector when the battery housing is rotated into saidclosed position, and wherein the space formed between the opposinginwardly facing surfaces exposes the electrical connector when thebattery housing is rotated into the open position.
 11. A battery packfor rotatably mounting on a computer enclosure having a rear wall andspaced apart computer mountings comprising:an elongated housing forholding batteries to supply electrical power to the computer enclosure,such housing having a narrow portion and wider end portions separated bythe narrow portion, the wider portions forming spaced apart opposinginwardly facing surfaces; and a mounting on the elongated housing ateach of the inwardly facing surfaces, the distance between the inwardlyfacing surfaces and the location of each of the mountings beingeffective to cooperate with the computer mountings to rotatably mountthe elongated housing exteriorly on the computer enclosure.